Fraud & Scams
Financial fraud, phishing, identity theft, scam alerts, data breaches, and how to protect yourself and your accounts.
Latest in Fraud & Scams
A Florida woman, 79, lost $200,000 to scammers, then had detectives in her living room when they called back for $30,000 more
A 79-year-old Manatee County woman had already lost $200,000 to scammers when the same callers dialed back to demand another $30,000. This time, detectives from...
A Maine couple in their late 70s lost their entire $1.3 million savings after impersonators told them to wire it to crypto
A couple in Maine, both in their late 70s, lost $1.3 million in retirement savings after scammers posing as federal agents directed them to wire...
Scammers copy the codes off store gift-card racks, so buy from behind the counter and check the packaging
Gift card fraud cost victims nearly $800,000 in a single federal case targeting the retailer Target, and a separate laundering ring moved more than $2.5...
Comcast breach victims can file for a payout until September 14
Nearly 35.9 million people affected by a late-2023 Comcast data breach now face a deadline to file claims for a payout, with the window closing...
STIIIZY customers can claim up to $7,500 for a data breach by September 10
Customers of cannabis brand STIIIZY who had personal information exposed in a data security incident have until September 10, 2026, to file claims for payments...
The FBI says older Americans lost $7.7 billion to scams last year, much of it to the “phantom hacker” ploy
Americans aged 60 and older lost $7.7 billion to fraud in 2023, according to the FBI, with a fast-growing share of that total tied to...
Western Montana Clinic patients can claim up to $5,000 over a data breach by September 15
Nearly 8,829 patients tied to Western Montana Clinic face a tight window to file claims worth up to $5,000 each after a data breach that...
Continental Café data-breach victims can claim $50, or up to $700 with proof, by July 28
People whose personal data was exposed in the Continental Cafe Holdings, LLC breach now face a tight window to file claims. The company’s breach notification,...
An 82-year-old St. Louis woman handed a courier $250,000 in gold bars after callers posed as tech support and her bank
An 82-year-old woman in St. Louis purchased approximately $250,000 in gold bars and handed them to a courier after callers impersonated tech support and her...
Oak View Group data-breach victims can claim $50, or $150 in California, by August 15
People whose personal information was exposed in the Oak View Group data breach have until August 15 to file a claim for $50, or $150...
A Virginia couple handed a courier their savings in a phone-scam ring tied to over $1 million in thefts
A Virginia couple lost their life savings after handing cash to a courier dispatched by phone scammers posing as government officials. Three people were arrested...
Circle K data-breach victims can claim $50, or up to $2,000 with proof, by September 3
People affected by a data security incident at Gas Express LLC, a company tied to Circle K convenience store operations, face a September 3 deadline...
A Tennessee retiree lost $268,000 in gold bars to callers who posed as her bank and a federal agent
A retiree in Putnam County, Tennessee, handed over $268,229 in gold bars and coins to strangers who called her pretending to be her bank and...
Comcast will pay Xfinity customers $50 with no proof over a 2023 data breach, if they file by August 14
Xfinity customers affected by a late-2023 data breach tied to a known software flaw can collect $50 from Comcast without submitting proof of harm, as...
Thirteen people are charged in a scheme that drained older Americans with fake tech-support and government calls
Federal prosecutors have charged 13 people for running a transnational fraud operation that used fake tech-support and government phone calls to steal from more than...
Disney+ subscribers may get a settlement check over the service’s pricing and auto-renewal practices
Disney+ subscribers could be in line for a payout tied to how the streaming giant handles consumer data and account practices. California Attorney General Rob...
A caller posing as bank rep ‘Miss Barbara’ drained $162,000 from a 65-year-old California caretaker
A 65-year-old California caretaker lost $162,000 after a caller who identified herself as “Miss Barbara,” a supposed bank representative, convinced the victim to hand over...
Fake toll-payment texts are one of the FTC’s fastest-growing scams, and one tap can cost you
A single text message claiming a driver owes a few dollars in unpaid tolls has become one of the fastest-growing fraud tactics in the United...
Thieves copy gift-card codes on store racks; buy from behind the counter and check the seal
Shoppers who pick a gift card off a retail display rack risk handing their money to thieves who already copied the card’s numbers and PIN...
Albany Park will pay nearly $15 million over fake ‘sale’ prices; buyers can claim by August 18
Buyers who purchased homes from Albany Park and were shown inflated “original” prices to make discounts look real now have until August 18 to file...